WIA 2014-15 Beginning of Year Letter

Local grant recipients of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) funds from the California Department of Education (CDE) have been advised of accountability requirements in the 2014–15 Request for Applications. This letter, posted on the CDE WIA Grant Information 2014–15 Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ae/fg/wia14.asp for your convenience, is to clarify and provide further details on program requirements and deadlines for grant deliverables (see Attachment 1). Failure to comply with any requirements or submissions will be cause for withholding the AEFLA grant reimbursements until requirements are met.

Supplement Not Supplant

The purpose of the federally funded AEFLA grant is to supplement state and local funds used for adult literacy educational initiatives. Please refer to the CDE Management Bulletin AEFLA-01-2013 Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ae/ir/mngmt-aefla-01-2013.asp and the CDE WIA Supplement not Supplant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ae/ir/faqsuppnotsupp.asp for further details. Non-federal sources of funds expended for grant-related activities must be reported in the Expenditure Claim Report (ECR) submitted to the CDE.

Program Income/Fees

Federal regulations define program income as gross income generated by grant supported activities. AEFLA local grantees collecting program fess must only establish fees that are necessary and reasonable. Federal regulations prohibit AEFLA programs from including program income/fees toward meeting match or maintenance of effort requirements. Program fees must support the program for which the fees are collected and should be expended within the program year. AEFLA program income/fees are reported on the ECR. Refer to the CDE Management Bulletin AEFLA-02-2013 Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ae/ir/mngmt-aefla-02-0213.asp for further details. Local agencies must also comply with their respective local governing board policies. For instance, adult schools must have documented board approval of their fee policy.

Grant Reimbursement

A quarterly electronic submission and signed hard copy of the ECR are required for grant reimbursements. The amount of program income/fees collected and expended must be reported on the quarterly ECRs. In addition, non-federal monetary expenditures and in-kind valuation must be reported on the ECR. All forms and instructions are accessed by logging onto the California Adult Education Online Application and Reporting Web site at http://adulted.otan.us/.

Local Assessment Policy

Local programs are required to update their local assessment policies annually and retain a copy on site. For assistance, AEFLA grantees may access an Assessment Policy Template from the CDE Resources Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ae/ir/ for guidance.

Technology Plan

All funded local agencies are required to complete a Technology Plan in the 2014–15 program year. An Implementation Guide, sample Technology Plans, and technical assistance are available online. Log on to the California Adult Education Online Application and Reporting Web site at https://adulted.otan.us/ to get started.

Professional Development Plan

With the 2014–15 program year, local agencies must offer staff development, including culturally and linguistically relevant opportunities, to implement effective adult education programs. Sufficient budgets must be allocated to support ongoing professional development. Templates for the Professional Development Plans and End-of-Year Reports are accessible on the California Adult Education Online Application and Reporting Web site at https://adulted.otan.us/.

Data Accountability Requirements

The CDE requires all AEFLA grantees to use the TOPSpro® Enterprise computerized database system to collect and report student demographics and program information. In addition, AEFLA funded agencies are required to comply with federal National Reporting System (NRS) requirements, specifically all funded agencies in California must:

Track adult students progress through the administration of the Comprehensive Adult Students Assessment Systems (CASAS) tests.

Track adult students’ core performance follow-up outcomes.

Submit summary reports to document all adult student progress.

Additional assessments are required if local agencies are also funded for English Literacy and Civics Education. The CDE Adult Education Office (AEO) has contracted with CASAS to offer online and face-to-face trainings on how to meet NRS accountability requirements, implement the CASAS assessment system and TOPSpro® Enterprise software. TOPSpro® Enterprise, student record forms, test booklets, and CASAS eTests® are available to AEFLA funded agencies at no cost.

One or more representatives from each AEFLA funded agency must complete one California Accountability Training and one CASAS Implementation Training by January 31, 2015. The CDE strongly encourages local agencies to adopt a team approach for trainings and continuous improvement in managing student data outcomes. Positive student learning outcomes drive future grant funding in California’s pay-for-performance system. More details regarding training sessions are available on the California Adult Education Training Web site at http://caadultedtraining.org.

Deliverable Reminders and Status

E-mail reminders are sent to agencies using the local contact information on the California Adult Education Online Application and Rporting Web site at http://adulted.otan.us. To update contact information, agencies must sign in, select “Agency Contacts” then select Your District, Your School or Sites, or Program Level Contacts. Local agencies may also view their deliverables submission status on the California Adult Education Training Web site at http://adulted.otan.us by selecting WIA II and Deliverables Summary.

Technical Assistance Contacts

For more information about the software, data entry, assessment tests, material ordering guides, or technical assistance on assessment or data accountability, please contact the CASAS California Accountability Program Manager, by phone at
1-800-255-1036 or by e-mail at capm@casas.org.

For technical assistance on accessing the Technology Plan and Professional Development Plan, please contact OTAN, by phone at 1-800-894-3113 or by sending a message via the Contact OTAN Technical Support Web page at https://adulted.otan.us/info.cfm?fuseaction=contactotan. For technical assistance on professional development topics, please contact California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project, by phone at 1-800-427-1422 or by e-mail at calpro@air.org.